Pilates at School A Dream Has Come True! by Eva Obenaus

Issue #309 – Wednesday, August 26, 2020 Pilates at School A Dream Has Come True! by Eva Obenaus I was a teacher of physical education and history at a Commercial High School in Austria from 1978 until 2017. In 2004, I started my Pilates education with Juliana Afram in Hamburg, […]

Joe’s Breaststroke by Reiner Grootenhuis

Issue #301 – Wednesday May 20, 2020 Joe’s Breaststroke by Reiner Grootenhuis There are certain exercises in our Pilates system which seem to be difficult when you do them for the first time … and they often stay difficult even when you keep on practicing them. For many of us, […]

Coming into the Zone with Pilates – by Suzanne Martin

Issue #300 Wednesday May 5, 2020 Coming into the Zone with Pilates by Suzanne Martin Breathing is a major principle in our Pilates tradition. Mr. Pilates continually emphasizes breathing in Return to Life. I believe we can all agree that all movement starts with a breath as movement emanates from […]

Shifting Stances – by Penelope Shure

Wednesday, April 1, 2020 Shifting Stances by Penelope Shure Pilates stance was the first position I learned in the first Pilates session I ever took, 20 years ago. Footwork on the reformer, heels together, toes apart but not too far apart like ballet first position as I automatically went into. […]

Engage Deeper into your Teaching – by Clare Dunphy Hemani

March 12, 2020 Engage Deeper into your Teaching by Clare Dunphy-Hemani I think most Pilates teachers today share the belief that our lineage has value because the connection back to Joe, either directly or through one of his students (our elders), helps keep the tradition alive.  It wasn’t that long […]

Airplane on the Cadillac – by Reiner Grootenhuis

November 6, 2019 Airplane on the Cadillac by Reiner Grootenhuis Setup: Attach traditional leg springs at a height of 80 – 85 cm / 31.5 – 33.5 inches. The higher the spring attachment, the easier raising the body into the diagonal becomes. Supine position with the head pointing toward the […]

The Amazing Chest Expansion – by Clare Dunphy-Hemani

October 9, 2019 The Amazing Chest Expansion by Clare Dunphy-Hemani I guess if I had to pick one universally effective, versatile Pilates exercise (which in my opinion, should be taught in every session and for nearly every person), it would be Chest Expansion. It includes all the essentials of total […]

Forget That Cue! – by Mara Sievers

Forget That Cue! – Three Wrong Cues for the Shoulder Girdle by Mara Sievers August 21, 2019 Guiding your student with your words is a combination of skill and art. Sometimes we overuse cues or apply certain cues to a movement where it’s not appropriate. You might or might not […]

A New Twist On Snake/Twist – by ‘Swami’ Doug Bentz

A New Twist On Snake/Twist’ On Snake/Twist! by Swami Doug Bentz June 20, 2019   Seeing as it is nearly summer and everything is blossoming and glowing with a sense of new life, why not bring some “newness” into your Pilates practice and to your clients? My intent with this […]

The Legacy of Kathy Grant – by Kathy Corey

The Legacy of Kathy Grant by Kathy Corey   Kathleen Stanford Grant was a dancer and first generation Master Pilates Teacher.  She was born August 1, 1921 in Boston Massachusetts.  “I think I started to dance in my mother’s womb,” Kathy said, “but growing up, there was not much interest in […]

About Pilates, Ribs and Spirals by Anna Schrefl

About Pilates, Ribs and Spirals by Anna Schrefl When we walk and run, turn, twist, bend forward or to the side, our spine needs to be flexible in order to allow these movements. In addition to the spine, our ribs need to have mobility as well. In our Pilates training, […]

Getting Real with Deborah Lessen

Deborah Lessen has been around for a long, long time, and she is to me a cult figure in the Pilates world.  I see her as the unofficial grand ‘teacher of teachers’ because she is sought after by many ‘big Pilates names’.  I met Deborah last year at the PMA […]

Pilates Complete

Some of you may remember the dynamic duo of Pilates Complete, introduced here over 1 year ago when Pilates Intel had 149 subscribers. Since then, Linda, Jasmine and I have come a long way in our respective endeavors. These ladies are fun and successful, their attitude and innovation makes their […]

Breathing New Life into the Body – by Andrea Maida

In Return to Life, Joe Pilates touts the benefits of a full deep breath. He maintains that shallow, lazy breathing deprives the body of the amount of oxygen necessary to fuel the blood. Indefatigably and conscientiously practice breathing until the art of correct breathing becomes habitual, automatic and subconscious, which accomplishment will result […]

Article for Pilates Intel – by Andrea Maida

I recently taught a client at Vintage Pilates who asked what had initially brought me to Pilates. After telling him my story he agreed it is the same reason many of us come to Pilates: pain and embarrassment. Spot on. My formal education is in the theatre and I also […]

Is Position Enough – by Brett Miller

One fine May morning I was lazily scrolling through my Facebook newsfeed when this comment grabbed my attention, “When we do the exercise correctly and the body is in its correct position, its true alignment- there is not thought nor need to fire the correct muscles that need to work, […]

An Osteopath’s Approach To Pilates – by Jon Hawkins

Probably much like a non osteopath’s approach to Pilates I am constantly energised by how deepening my knowledge and experience constantly evolves how I practice. I initially started learning to be a Pilates instructor to fill a gap in my knowledge about safe and effective exercise for my clients, really […]

Personal Profile – Jon the Osteopath

I guess you have noticed, we usually like to have an article about a person in the Pilates community in each edition.  Today is no different.  Want to introduce you to a sensitive and dedicated fellow who joined Pilates Intel a few weeks back, an Osteopath based in London, Jon […]

A Pilates Documentary – by Mark Pedri and Carrie McCarthy

Why isn’t there a film about Pilates? Sure, there have been films about people who do Pilates, but there isn’t a movie that is purely dedicated to the work created by Joseph H. Pilates. Why not? Filmmaker, Mark Pedri found himself asking this exact question after a friend introduced him […]